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Ministry in a Pluralistic Context - Day 1

Friday, July 24, 2009

We started our class today on Ministry in a Pluralistic Context lectured by Dr Tan Kang San, formerly with OMF and now a lecturer in Redcliffe College, UK.

Ministry in a Pluralistic Context may sound foreign to some but very relevant to us in Asia, particularly in South Asia. We live in a society rich with layers over layers of traditions and different religions. There is such a blend that it would not be uncommon to find a Hindu, Buddhist and Christian, all living together in a home. With such an environment how do we as Christian engage with those of the other religions without reducing their beliefs and practices to something that is meaningless, when it is not. We need to find a platform that will allow us to discuss and talk about our practices and faith in a more respectful manner.

The lecturer stresses on having dialogues with believers of the other religions and not to encounter them from a reductionist approach, where we reduce the values of their beliefs and practices. All religions are complex and they exist because people are seeking after God. We have much to learn from them as much as they have to learn from us.